Desilting equipment



June 17, 1969 T. E. CUMMINGS 3,449,915

DESILTING EQUIPMENT Filed Jan. 6 1966 1 l9 INVENTOR 3 i 77h70fhy E. Cummings United States Patent US. Cl. 612 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An apparatus for controlling silt by the production of an artificial current has a submerged propeller attached to a vertical column which is mounted on a support member secured to the bottom of a body of water.

This invention is directed to an apparatus for controlling silt comprising a substantially vertical column extending into a body of water, a submerged motor driven propeller attached to the column, support means secured to the bottom of the body of water and adapted to rotatably support the column, and drive means positioned adjacent the upper portion of the column and adapted to rotate the column.

This invention relates generally to the control of silt and more particularly to an apparatus which effectively controls silt by the production of an artificial current.

The accumulation of silt along certain waterways has been a problem for many years. This problem may be serious when a deep draft must be maintained adjacent a dock which is located along a river. The magnitude of the velocity of the water in the main channel of a river is usually sufiiciently high to maintain the channel relatively free of any substantial silt accumulation. However, the velocity of the water near the shore tends to be lower and a substantial accumulation of silt may occur. It has been known for some time that silt may be retained or placed in suspension in water and transported therein by the production of an artificial current and that an artificial current may be used to transport silt from an area of low natural water velocity to an area of high velocity. In the past, apparatus for producing an artificial current included a submerged propeller, which was driven by a shaft suspended from a barge or ship, or a submerged motor-propeller unit, which was placed on the bottom or suspended from the top surface of a body of water. Generally, the prior art apparatus was not effective for maintaining a deep draft due to the difficulty in fixing the submerged propeller at a given depth and in controlling the direction of the artificial current produced by the submerged propeller. Furthermore, the prior art apparatus was not properly supported for producing an artificial current of large quantity and relatively high velocity.

It is an object of this invention to provide an apparatus which effectively controls silt by a submerged propeller producing an artificial current.

It is another object of this invention to provide an apparatus which maintains a submerged propeller at a given depth and effectively controls the direction of the artificial current produced by said propeller.

It is another object of this invention to provide an apparatus which is properly supported for producing an artificial current of large quantity and relatively high velocity.

The foregoing objects can be attained by providing a submerged motor-propeller unit attached to a vertical col- "ice umn which is supported from the bottom of a body of water by means adapted to allow the column to rotate.

Referring to the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an elevation view, partly broken, of the invention.

FIlgICi. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 22 of FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

In the drawings 10 indicates a dock or other suitable structure positioned above a body of water 11 having a bottom 12. A vertical column, generally indicated as 13, extends into the body of water 11 adjacent the dock 10. Vertical column 13 comprises a lower hollow cylindrical section 14, an intermediate wide flange section 15, and an upper stub shaft section 16. These sections are connected together to form column 13. Column 13 is rotatably sup ported from pile 17 by bearing means, generally indicated as 18. Pile 17 comprises a plurality of tubular sections 19, 19 which are secured together in any suitable manner and driven into the bottom 12. Thus, pile 17 provides a rigid support for bearing means 18 and column 13.

As best shown in FIG. 3, bearing means 18 rotatably supports column 13 on tubular section 19 of pile 17 and comprises a journal 20, including a top thrust plate 21, secured to tubular section 19, and a bearing 22, including a bushing 23 and thrust plate 24, secured to hollow cylindrical section 14 of column 13. Bushing 23 surrounds and is rotatable about journal 20. Thrust plate 24 is in contact with thrust plate 21.

In order to secure journal 20 to tubular section 19, a circular plate 25 is attached by welding to the lower end of journal 20 and by bolts and nuts to the upper flange 26 of tubular section 19.

In order to secure bearing 22 to cylindrical section 14, a circular plate 27 is attached by welding to the upper end of bearing 22 and by bolts and nuts to the lower flange 28 of cylindrical portion 14.

Bushing 23 is shrunk in place within bearing 22 after thrust plate 24 is placed within bearing 22 and in contact with circular plate 27. To make certain that bushing 23 remains within bearing 22, a retainer ring 29 is placed in contact with the lower end of bushing 23 and welded to the lower end of bearing 22. Attached to the retainer ring 29 is a guide cone 30 which aids in assembling journal 20 within bushing 23 of bearing 22.

Bushing 23 and thrust plate 24 may be made of any suitable material, e.g. bronze.

Bearing means 18 provides vertical support for column 13 through thrust plates 24 and 21 and lateral support through journal 20 and bushing 23 of bearing 22.

Attached to cylindrical section 14 of column 13 by means of a support platform 31 and bracket 32 are motor 33, gear reducer 34, and propeller 35. Support platform 31 comprises a plurality of plates secured to cylindrical section 14 in any suitable manner. Bracket 32 is secured to cylindrical section 14 and the housing of motor 33. The drive shaft of motor 33 extends downwardly and perpendicular to the driven shaft 36 of propeller 35. Gear reducer 34 is designed for this right angle drive, i.e., to be driven by motor 33 and to drive the shaft 36 of propeller 35.

The upper portion of column 13 is rotatably secured to dock 10 by hearing means 37 which is attached to the dock 10 and includes a sleeve portion 38 encircling stub shaft 16 of column .13. Suitable bearing material,

.such as .a bronze bushing, is located between sleeve portio n 38 and stub shaft 16 to provide for free rotation of column 13.

Fixed adjacent the top of stub shaft 16 is a sprocket 39. Sprocket 39 is driven by chain 40 which is in driving engagement with sprocket 41 of motor-gear reducer unit 42. This unit is capable of oscillating column 13 through the 180 as shown in FIG. 2.

It should be understood that the usual electrical connections, lubricants, and safety devices will be provided.

When possible, the vertical column should be positioned and oscillated or rotated so that the natural water currents, including the tides, supplement the artificial current produced by the propeller 35.

In operation, the propeller 35 attached to column 13 is driven by motor 33 and gear reducer 34. In order to produce an artificial current of the proper characteristics, the rotating propeller 35 must move a large quantity of water at .a relatively high velocity. Thus, the rotating propeller 35 exerts a large force on column 13. Since column 13 is supported at its lower end by bearing means 18 and near its upper end by bearing means 37, such a force can be sustained by column 13. As propeller 35 rotates, motor-gear reducer 42 slowly oscillates column 13 through an arc of 180 as shown in FIG. 2. It should be understood that a motor gear reducer unit could be provided which oscillates column 13 through an are greater or less than 180. Also, if desirable, column 13 could be rotated rather than oscillated. The rotational speed and design of propeller 35, the speed at which column 13 is oscillated or rotated, and the extent of such oscillation or rotation will depend mainly on the type of silt, the area in which the slit is to be controlled, the distance the silt must be artificially transported, and the natural water currents present.

In an actual installation mounted adjacent a dock located on a river, an apparatus constructed and positioned according to the above disclosure, operated on the average of two hours per day, and having the following specifications has maintained a semicircular .area having a radius of about 180 feet relatively free of any accumulation at a depth of 50 feet, where formerly the natural water currents allowed silt to accumulate at a rate in excess of about 6 feet per year.

Propeller:

Motor 100 H.P. Type 3 blades, left hand. Speed 340 rpm. Diameter inches. Pitch 30 inches. Oscillation -e, 180 in 2 hours.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for controlling silt comprising:

(a) a substantially vertical column extending above and below the top surface of a body of water,

(b) means positioned above said top surface and adapted to rotate said column about its vertical axis,

(0) a propeller and a motor to drive said propeller about an axis transverse to said vertical axis being mounted on said column below said top surface, and

(d) a bottom bearing support for said column including:

a tubular bearing attached to the bottom of said column and extending downwardly therefrom,

a cylindrical journal secured to the bottom of said body of water and extending within said bearing,

a first horizontally extending thrust plate attached to the bottom of said column,

a second horizontally extending thrust plate in contact with said first plate attached to the top of said journal, and

with said first plate rotatable relative to said second plate during rotation of said column.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 184,121 11/1876 Rietschoten et al. 37-77 725,203 4/1903 Bates 37-75 1,549,030 8/1925 Spencer 37 1,704,181 3/1929 Dunn 37 77 2,856,704 10/1958 Hebert 37-75 3,109,288 11/1963 Gross 51-4 3,373,821 3/1968 Sare 61-1 FOREIGN PATENTS 309,121 6/1933 Italy.

EARL I. WITMER, Primary Examiner. 

